


A Lingering Scent

by Kirito_Potter



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26705005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirito_Potter/pseuds/Kirito_Potter
Summary: "I told you guys, there's nothing special about today. No birthday, no anniversary, no nothing. I just… wanted to hang out. We don't do that nearly enough."
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 246





	A Lingering Scent

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't read the tags, please go do that. There's no graphic violence, but heavy themes are present here. Basically, Uncle Rick needs to step up and not just write traumatic events without also discussing the trauma.

Both of Percy's hands are covered in raw cookie batter when the doorbell rings. To be fair, he probably didn't need to use his hands, but that's how he and his mom have always done it when they bake together. She says it helps them push their love into the food, and Percy has always sort of agreed; it could just be her recipe, but their cookies always seem to taste warmer, brighter, more like home than any cookies they've bought from a store.

Unfortunately, this means he has to call out, "One second!" and run to the sink to wash off his hands.

When he pulls the door open, Jason is grinning at him, and he's holding a big cooler. Jason shifts his weight, and the ice inside clinks cheerfully.

"Jason!" Percy laughs.

"Sorry, am I early?" He asks.

Percy shakes his head. "Don't worry about it, man." He reaches for the cooler. "Here, let me help."

"No, that's okay," Jason says. "I've got it."

Percy moves out of his way, nodding, and Jason steps into the apartment. He points to a spot along the wall where Jason can set it down, and once Jason stands up, he stretches his arms above his head, clearly sore from carrying the cooler despite refusing Percy's help.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Jason says, putting one hand on his shoulder as he rolls it back a few times.

Percy smiles, gesturing to the kitchen. "Wanna see?"

Jason follows him inside, and Sally looks up from the baking tray. She's smiling brightly. "Hello!" She wipes her hands off on her apron. "You must be…" she squints at him, though not in an accusatory way. "Jason, right?"

Jason nods. "That's right. It's so great to meet you, ma'am. Percy has told us so much about you."

Her eyes widen, and her hands twist in her apron. "Oh! I… didn't realize." She gives Percy an embarrassed look. "Is that true?"

Percy shrugs, but he's smiling. "All good things, Mom, I promise."

Jason leans around her to look at the cookies-- if they can be called that before they've baked-- on the tray. "I guess you weren't kidding about the blue food."

Sally laughs. "It's sort of a tradition for us."

Percy nods and reaches into the bowl, scooping out a chocolate chip. Sally playfully tries to stop him, but he pops it into his mouth. "It's our 'thing'," he agrees.

Smiling, Jason nods, surveying the kitchen. (There's flour all over the counter, but that's Percy's fault, not his mom's, of course.) "That's really sweet." He blinks. "Uh, no pun intended."

The doorbell rings again.

"I'll get it," Percy says quickly.

Annabeth gives him a quick peck on the lips before she steps inside, toting two large bags of tortilla chips. She drops them off on the coffee table in the main room between the two couches, then walks into the kitchen.

"Wait, Jason got here before me?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. "I thought for sure I was going to be early."

"You are early," Percy grins. "But Jason was earlier."

She looks a little annoyed, but she just shakes her head, her blonde ponytail bouncing. Percy laughs and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hi, Mrs. Jackson," Annabeth adds, smiling fondly. "So good to see you again."

More guests keep streaming in-- Frank and Hazel arrive next, then Piper, all still early. Leo shows up at noon, panting from having had to run to get here just in time. Will apologizes profusely on Nico's behalf for their being late (only by twenty minutes, but Will looks mortified), and Nico just stands there, watching Will with a soft smile.

Sally looks happier and happier with every new person she meets.

Everyone is piled on the couches before long, and Percy's leg is sort of falling asleep under Jason's weight, but he doesn't care because it's all so comfortable somehow. He's eating more dip and queso than should technically be able to fit inside a human, and Leo is egging him on, insisting he can eat more than Percy can, while the girls complain that they're going to run out of chips at this rate. Will tells a story that has them all on the metaphorical edges of their seats (if any of them actually tried to lean forward, they'd probably all tumble off the couches), and Piper follows him up with a somehow even more outlandish tale.

Sally steps into the main room, holding the tray of cookies, and there's a moment where everyone seems to register the heavenly smell all at the same time.

"Um… ma'am," Nico mumbles, "may I…"

She laughs and offers him one, and he looks at it like it's ambrosia.

Sally sits on the small chair in the corner, and the room goes pleasantly quiet as everyone eats. Not silent, just quiet. It's soft and warm over them, like a blanket.

"So," Frank finally says, wiping his hands on a napkin, "you're sure it's not your birthday, Percy?"

Percy laughs, licking melted chocolate off his thumb. "I told you guys, there's nothing special about today. No birthday, no anniversary, no nothing. I just… wanted to hang out. We don't do that nearly enough."

Annabeth nods at his side. Her lips are blue.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy says in a teasing sing-song, "you've got a little something on your face."

She reaches up, swiping at her cheek with her fingers. "Did I get it?"

"Nope," he laughs, and leans in to kiss her. She giggles against him.

Percy pulls away, and she asks, "Is it off?"

He snickers, shaking his head. "They're so blue."

"Groooooss," Leo says from the other couch, but he's smiling. "You two are so sappy!"

Percy sticks his tongue out at him, and Leo waggles his back, streaked with blue.

Jason groans, shaking his head. "Chocolate is stuck to the roof of my mouth. I need a drink."

"But that's the best part!" Percy argues, laughing. "You have to use your tongue."

Jason stands, and Percy's leg tingles with static from the loss of pressure, making him jump. "Anyone else want a drink?" He asks, oblivious to Percy rubbing his leg to get the feeling back.

"What did you bring?" Piper asks, watching as he crosses to the cooler.

Jason kneels in front of it, rooting through the half-melted ice. He turns and tosses Piper one of those vegetable juice drinks Percy has seen her with, still dripping with condensation.

"Anyone else?" He asks again.

"Do you have any Coke?" Annabeth tries.

"Sure."

He stands with two drinks in hand, pushing the lid down with his foot, and walks back over to the couch. He plops himself right back down on Percy's knee and hands Annabeth the bottle.

Then Jason holds his can out in front of him, like he's scared it'll spill, and Percy sees the label on the front.

_ Click. Hissss. _

Percy feels the moment his senses go numb. Everything fades out: his friends laughing, the weight of Jason on his leg, the taste of the chocolate that was still in his mouth. Even his vision dims, until the only thing he can see is the label on the can. Until the only thing he can smell is the beer inside.

He watches, feeling hazy, as Jason raises the can to his lips, tipping his head back. His Adam's apple bobs once. Twice. Thrice.

Percy's throat is tight. He thinks, somewhere far away in his mind, that he wants to scream. But he can't. Not when he's already started drinking. Not when Percy doesn't know if he'll get sleepy and docile or angry and demanding.

Gabe is reaching up to wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand. He looks over at Percy, and he's baring his teeth like a wild animal. Percy can only stare back.

He's saying something. Percy can't make it out through the ringing in his ears. He says it again, louder, and Percy tries not to show he's afraid, tries not to let the tears building fall, but Gabe's breath smells like alcohol, and it's washing over him again and again, and he just wants to leave, but his limbs feel heavy. He can't move his leg.

He's useless. He's useless, and weak, and his whole body feels disgusting.

"Percy!"

He flinches.

The room is silent.

"Percy?" Gabe says again, quieter.

Percy keeps his head low, knowing that the second he looks up, Gabe is going to use it against him. He sounds worried, but he's not. He never is. It's just his way of making Percy do what he wants. If Percy hides away like this, he's a  _ stupid coward, _ but if he makes eye contact, he's an  _ arrogant kid looking for a fight, _ and he knows which one he'd rather be.

Something touches his shoulder, and he cringes, curling in on himself further.

Everything is so dull, but it's also so much, and he can't breathe. No-- he's breathing too much. Too hard. Too fast. It hurts.

"Darling."

Percy opens his eyes. His mother is kneeling in front of him, her eyelashes wet. He tries to swallow down the lump in his throat, but he only succeeds in making a wet, broken noise.

She stands, and she says something, but all he can hold onto is the way her voice sounds, warm and kind even as it trembles. The weight on his leg lifts.

He throws himself off the seat, grabbing at his mom's arm for balance.

"I know," she's saying. "Just breathe."

Why isn't she moving? Gabe is  _ right there, _ and she won't move. They should be getting into the next room. They should be making an excuse to leave the building. He would explain it to her, but he can't risk Gabe hearing him say things like that.

"Jason, would you mind throwing that away?"

Percy's world shifts. His knees feel weak.

"I didn't… sorry. Sorry, I didn't know--"

Percy fights the urge to cover his ears. It's not him. It's not Gabe's voice, grating and loud. It's softer. It's…

Jason steps around him to walk to the trash. He tosses the can inside, and Percy can hear what's left in it swishing as it falls.

His mom is patting down his hair, speaking softly enough that maybe no one else can hear. "Come on. Let's step into the hallway, dear."

Once they're alone, in the quiet, Percy leans back against the wall, snot running down his face. He feels gross. He wants to take a shower.

"I know," Sally says quietly. He wonders if he said that out loud. "It wasn't just you, you know. I was… But it was so much closer to you. Maybe that's why."

He shakes his head a little, but he doesn't know what he's refuting anymore.

And then he's crying. He doesn't want to, but he does, and the hallway is twisted and distorted, and it makes him cry harder. He takes big, gulping, gasping breaths, but his lungs never seem full, and it makes them burn.

She holds him, and it all feels a little less stark.

Percy isn't sure how long it's been when he steps back inside. Everyone turns to look at him with wide eyes, then just as quickly look away, like they don't want him to see. He has.

Percy reaches for another cookie from the tray, and no one stops him. He eats quietly as he walks over to the couch. Annabeth has scooted closer to-- she's scooted over, leaving space between her and Will. He settles in there, grateful.

Will presses a hand to his back, right between his shoulder blades, and Percy can't be sure, but judging by the tingly feeling there, he thinks Will is trying to heal him. He doesn't shrug his hand off, even though he knows it won't fix him.

The only sound in the silence is Percy slowly chewing. He doesn't know if it's because no one wants to speak, or because they don't know what to say.

He feels a hand on his arm. It's Annabeth's. He thinks it might be the same hand that startled him before, on his shoulder. He turns to look, and she offers him a little crooked smile.

"Hey," she says. She's trying to be quiet, but right now it's so loud.

Percy swallows the bite of cookie in his mouth. "Hey." His voice is raspy.

She gently touches his cheek.

He frowns. "I'm disgusting."

She shakes her head. "No, not really."

She leans forward, but Percy turns his head before she can kiss him.

Her thumb strokes his cheek. "Are you okay?"

Percy's mouth goes dry. How does he even begin to answer a question like that?

"I don't know," he admits after a few seconds.

"Okay." She nods. And again, "Okay."

Percy finishes the cookie. His hands are dirty. He reaches for a napkin, and uses it to wipe half-heartedly at his nose too.

"Right," Percy finally sighs. He glances up, looking around the room.

Jason looks-- Jason looks shattered, really. And like he's trying to tell Percy something just with his eyes. Probably  _ sorry. _

Percy clears his throat, glancing away. "We can… pretend like nothing happened," he offers. It's not a good long-term plan, but he just needs to feel like a normal human being for a little while. Like his skin isn't crawling. Like he isn't broken. "And, um… no beer."


End file.
